


As Long as You

by thequidditchpitch_archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Action/Adventure, Friendship, Post-Hogwarts, Romance, The Quidditch Pitch: Leaving Feast
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-05-01
Updated: 2007-06-14
Packaged: 2018-10-27 14:50:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10811208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thequidditchpitch_archivist/pseuds/thequidditchpitch_archivist
Summary: Year seven story starting just before Bill’s wedding.  Ginny knows that the trio is leaving and has a decision to make.  She is just not going to wait and let Harry walk out of her life.





	1. As Long as You

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Annie, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Quidditch Pitch](http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Quidditch_Pitch), which went offline in 2015 when the hosting expired, at a time I was not able to renew it. I contacted Open Doors, hoping to preserve the archive using an old backup, and began importing these works as an Open Doors-approved project in April 2017. Open Doors e-mailed all authors about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact us using the e-mail address on [The Quidditch Pitch collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/thequidditchpitch/profile).

  
Author's notes: Many thanks to all who have helped with this story!  My beta Madam Minnie, Miss_Elisha who is the grammar queen, and nattieb who encourages me and helps me when I am lost!  


* * *

He was coming.  A shiver ran down her back as she grimaced.  Why should she be so worried about seeing him?  He was the one that had broken it off, had walked away and in the process had unknowingly broken her heart.  That day, she had looked vacantly past the white coffin and felt that everything she had ever hoped for, ever dreamed of, walked away with him.  She sat there for what felt like hours; she knew what he was going to do but she wondered why she let him go without letting him know.  Letting him know how she felt. 

_Ok Gin, come on, pull yourself together,_ she thought.  _It’s not like he’s coming here for you.  Bill is getting married tomorrow, that is why he’s here.  It’s just the unfortunate coincidence that he is your brother’s best mate.  Not only that but he has been an accepted member of your family for years now.  If you weren’t here he wouldn’t even notice._ She sighed, and continued to set up the camp bed for Hermione.

At least Hermione would be there in a few hours.  It had been a lonely summer with only her mother and Phlegm as company.  As if letting Harry leave her was not hard enough, Ron had announced that he was not coming home until the wedding.  The thought of a month alone had been enough for Ginny to ask Hermione if she wouldn’t mind staying with her for a couple of weeks, just the girls.  She could see the indecision and regret that played across her friend’s face as Hermione informed her that she would be staying on Privet Drive with Harry and Ron.  Ginny wasn’t sure if she envied or pitied her.  Envy had won out.  _Even if you were there with them he wouldn’t have noticed you._ He hadn’t noticed her all the times that they had shared a house before.  Things were just going to go back to the way they had always been.  It would be a party of three—Ron, Harry, and Hermione—with little Ginny standing on the outskirts praying that they might notice her.

She looked in the mirror and took in her reflection.  _If that is the way that you want to play it, Potter, then I will show you just what you’ll be missing._ Opening her closet, she knew her next move.  Her gaze fell upon the one thing that she was dreading more than seeing Harry: that dress. 

Ginny figured that her future sister-in-law hated her.  For someone so beautiful and graceful she had the worst taste in clothes. Ginny sighed.  At least the dress wasn’t pink like the one Gabrielle wanted.  Pink and puffy, she would have looked like the “good witch” in the movie that her father had taken her to as a child.  She remembered him saying to her mother as they left, “Every child should be exposed to Muggle entertainment at some time.”  She couldn’t understand how a witch could have a green face—not even hags have green faces.  Maybe it had been a glamour charm that had gone wrong.  She had laughed when she saw the goblins dancing and singing around the puffy witch.  Everyone knew that goblins were awful and never sang or danced.  The only thing that she really liked was the idea of being able to ride in a pink bubble and wear a crown all the time. 

Ginny looked at the gold dress that was hanging in her closet.  At least it wasn’t pink!  That thought consumed her.  The dress looked like something that belonged to an eleven year old.  She was not a child, and tomorrow everyone, including Harry, would see that.

Harry was set to arrive at the Burrow that afternoon.  Wanting to be anywhere but there when he arrived, she ran down the stairs and out the door, ignoring the calls from her mother.  There was only one place that she could escape to.  Ginny had always found solace on the Quidditch pitch; there was just something about flying.  She would go there when she missed her brothers while they were away at Hogwarts.  She had spent most of her summer after her first year there flying.  But today, she had to escape from a different boy that filled her head.  She needed time… time to think and compose herself before he arrived.

There was no way that she was going to act like that little girl who was so shy she had thought it a good idea to send a valentine to the great Harry Potter in her first year to get him to notice her.  _Right, like a cupid singing about pickled toads was going to win his heart._  She chuckled.  She was not going to act like a lovesick puppy or run away from him.  This was her house.  If he didn’t want to see her then he should be the one avoiding her. He may find out what she was going to do and talk her out of it.  So when her mother told her that she was expecting the three to be arriving in about an hour she threw on her trainers and went straight to the broom shed.  There was only one place where she could think and that was fifty feet in the air.

She felt the wind encircle her as she pushed off from the ground.  She never understood how Hermione could hate flying.  When she flew, she felt free.  She raced from one end of the pitch to the other throwing in a Sloth Grip Roll here and there.  She held on to the handle of her broomstick and aimed it straight down.  At the last second she pulled up on the handle and felt her toes scrape at the grass under her.  From behind her, she heard a whoop and clapping.  Her heart skipped a beat.

“And I thought I was a good flier!”  His voice caught her off guard as she spun around on her broomstick.

  



	2. Chapter 2

Ginny looked down from her perch, to the figure that had made its way to the pitch from the cover of the trees. 

"It's the Quidditch Cup player extraordinaire!" she said to the man that came into the clearing carrying a broomstick over his shoulder.  "Charlie, my favorite brother! When did you arrive home?" 

"Just a bit ago.  Mum was worried about you and thought I could talk you down from there."  

"Just because I said you were my favorite brother doesn't allow you to treat me like I'm two.  I'll come down when I am perfectly ready," she said defensively, making Charlie chuckle.  "Don't tell the other four that you're my favorite.  They all think that they're my favorites!" she teased.  

She scolded herself.  _Four?  She had five brothers aside from Charlie_.  _Right_ _. I forgot Percy.  But it's not like he's a brother to me now.  I'd rather kiss a troll than talk to him any time soon_

Charlie jumped onto his broom and flew up to meet her.  As if being able to read her thoughts, he laughed, "And how do I not know that Percy isn't your favorite and that you're just feeding me a line?"  The comment was meant as a joke, but both their smiles seemed a little pained at the line, the laughter following a little bit forced. 

Ginny switched her thoughts to playful banter, "That is one thing you will have to take on faith.  But look ... anyone that has a brother that trains dragons ... and well ... who is as cool as you are would say that you're their favorite."  

Ginny turned from her brother and looked off into the tree line, sighing deeply.  She just really wanted to be alone. 

Charlie looked at her.  "You know, I have a sister that pulls a face like that when something is weighing on her mind," he said, sweeping closer to her and putting his arm around her. 

She looked into his eyes, which were the same bright brown as hers.  Ginny may look like the twins to most people, but those who knew Charlie saw him in her eyes.    It was amazing that with so many years separating them, they were still close.  

"Are you going to tell me what is in that head of yours, or do I have to somehow pry it out of you?" 

Ginny looked over at him, took a deep dramatic breath, and stated. "Okay, I was the one that put the spider on Ron's pillow causing mum to have to check his bed sheets every night for two years after," she said, laughing merrily.  

"That is not what I was talking about, and how dare you let the twins take the fall for that one," Charlie said, surprised. 

"Charlie, you would be shocked at all the things the twins laid claim to as we were growing up, that they really weren't responsible for."  They both laughed together, sharing stories of their childhoods, but as they talked, both their gazes were drawn to stare out past the horizon. 

"It looks like I'm not the only one with secrets," she commented, looking over at her brother. 

"So you do have a secret!," he said with a forced chuckle that let her know he was truly hiding something.  "But hey, you can't keep secrets from your favorite brother!" he said in a mocking tone.  "Seriously, Gingersnap, if you need someone to talk to, you know you can tell me anything, right?"  His gaze returned to contemplating the clouds moving lazily in the sky. 

She nodded in agreement.  It would be nice to talk things out with someone other than Hermione. Plus, she needed someone who wasn't close to the situation, and that ruled out Ron.  Charlie had been great with her after the incident during first year; his letters had been full of support.  He wouldn't betray her secret to anyone.  Turning the tables back on him, she replied, "And you can't keep secrets from your favorite sister.  So I am going to make a deal with you.  You tell me what is going on in that head of yours, and I'll share with you what you want to know."

Charlie agreed to the deal.  Ginny, however,  decided that when it came her turn, she could just fly away from him and hide.  She was already avoiding one person staying at the house; a second wouldn't really be any harder, right? 

Charlie began, "You can't tell anyone that I told you this, and Mum would kill me if she knew."  He paused as he carefully chose his words.  She knew whatever it was he was going to tell her, he couldn't say in any other way.  

"I am not the only Weasley in Romania." 

Ginny almost fell off her broom but tried to remain composed.  "If you're not the only Weasley in Romania, then you are not as smart as they all told me you were, Charlie."  He looked at her with an arched eyebrow.  "You know," she continued just as calmly, "your mother is just going to kill you.  Way to steal Bill's thunder!"  They both laughed, and she began to ask a million questions at once.  "Who? When? Where?  Wait; she isn't pregnant, is she?   Because then mum would really kill you!  Why haven't you told anyone?" 

"I'll tell you if you ever let me get a word in."  Ginny stopped her rambling, so her brother could continue.  "Hayden and I eloped the night before Hogwarts was attacked. And no, she's not pregnant.  We had been together for some time and decided to elope.  She has no family, and I felt that the large Weasley family and a wedding mum would think acceptable would be a little overwhelming to her."  

Charlie looked at his sister and continued, "We were actually planning on coming home and letting Mum and Dad know about our little secret that next night.  Then after all that happened, we didn't feel like we should. After that, I never really found the right time to slip it into a conversation.  ‘By the way, Mum, let me introduce you to your new daughter-in-law.'  Mum would have had kittens! She's been so stressed with Bill's wedding.  Why make her more upset?"  

He looked at Ginny as she listened, nodding her head in agreement.  She knew first hand what their mother had been like the past few months. 

"I need your help, though," Charlie pleaded, "Hayden will be here tonight. Will you please be kind to her, and maybe help her feel at home?  I promise we will let everyone know soon--just not tonight." 

"Any wife of yours is a sister of mine, right?  Unless she is a snotty uptight girl who doesn't get dirty, talks in a way that hardly anyone can understand, and won't let me pick out my own clothes for the reception Mum will definitely insist you have, then, of course, I will love her," Ginny quipped.

Charlie laughed with relief. "You don't ask for too much, do you?  With you in my corner, who needs anyone else?  Now little sister, it's your turn to tell me what's weighing on you so deeply." 

Ginny paused.  She needed to think of something believable to tell him quickly.  How could she tell him what she had planned?  Forget Harry stopping her; Charlie would end her plan right then and there.  But then again, she felt an overwhelming need to tell someone, and hoped that he would understand. 

"Harry is planning on taking on Voldemort, and I'm going to go with him," she said in one breath.  Charlie looked at her with a shocked and questioning look. 

"Are you crazy? I don't know where Harry, and I figure probably Ron and Hermonie, all think they're going, but Harry's not going anywhere.  For that matter, neither you, nor Ron and Hermione, are going anywhere.  With everything that's happening, you think it would be a good time to go out on a Voldemort hunting trip?  This is not a game! This is war!"  Charlie said, shocked by his sister's revelation.  

"Forget it.  I knew I shouldn't have told you."  Ginny started to turn the handle of her broom, and move away from her brother.  She wanted to hide the hurt that she felt from trusting him with this secret, and then being treated like she was a mere child, again. 

"No, I'm sorry for upsetting you, but what do you think you're doing, though?  Did he talk you into this?  I swear I'm going to have to talk to that boy," Charlie muttered.

"Charlie!  He has nothing to do with this.  He doesn't even want me!" Every emotion came pouring out of Ginny at once, making her shake with anger and cry from loneliness and frustration.   

Charlie flew closer to Ginny and held her through her tears.  "What do you mean he doesn't want you?" 

Ginny looked up.  "No - nothing like that.  Just that Harry Potter thinks he's being all noble." 

"Ok, that really cleared things up for me," Charlie teased. 

"Charlie, you weren't here; you don't know what's been happening.  I had everything, everything that I ever wanted, and in one fell swoop the Death Eaters barged into Hogwarts and took it all away in one night.  Why did they have to come and screw it all up?  Why doesn't he understand I'm in just as much danger here or at Hogwarts as I would be with him?" 

Charlie looked at his little sister, who no longer looked like that little girl he found crying on the pitch after taking a tumble from his broom, which she had nicked from the shed while he was at a friend's house.  He had carried her back to the Burrow, and had told their mother that the tears and scrapes were from when Ginny had fallen out of a tree.  It was one of the very few times he had ever lied to his mother.  He would do anything for Ginny.  

He understood Harry's decision, though, and he thought to try and make her understand.  "Ginny, he needs you to be safe.  We need you to be safe.  I can't..."  His voice caught a little.  "I don't know what I would do if something happened to you!" 

"You all think that you can keep me safe, but you can't.  I am a Weasley.  I've had a target on me a large as great-aunt Muriel and as red as my hair even before I was with Harry.  Is your memory so limited? I've never been safe at Hogwarts, I had to face _him_ there!  I had him in my head for a year while you were in Romania playing with dragons!  Doesn't that count for something?  I know _him_.  How is it that one of the only people that can be of use is being coddled and treated like a five year-old wanting to sit at the grownup's table?  It's Harry that has to fight this fight, and I know you lot will be right alongside him.  But look, if Harry needs anyone by his side, it's going to be me." 

Charlie couldn't fight with her reasoning.  She was no longer a child and had faced and seen things in her short life that he could not even imagine.  And he knew that once Ginny put her mind to something, she usually figured out a way to get it.

Wanting to set aside thoughts of his little sister trying to save the world, Charlie looked Ginny in the eye, nodded, and flew off towards The Burrow, initiating a race. Ginny followed him, knowing their conversation was over and that he understood her decision.  Maybe he could be the one to explain it to the rest of the family. 

They both landed next to the shed and returned their brooms.  As they turned and walked past the garden, she snuck a peek into the kitchen. Ron and Harry were sitting at the table waiting for Mrs. Weasley's to serve lunch.  She suddenly felt nailed to where she stood not knowing where to turn, and whether she even had energy to move at all.  

She felt a calming arm around her shoulder.  "Come on, sis, I'm starving!"  She looked up into Charlie's beaming face.  "It will be alright, just sit by me.  I'll keep your elbows out of the butter dish!"  

Ginny blushed at the thought and stood a little taller as she walked into the kitchen, smoothing out her old t-shirt and shorts.   It's not like he hadn't ever seen her in her workout clothes, as well as sweaty with mussed hair.  Why then, at that moment, did she feel like she had to look like one of those girls at school that spent all their time in front of the mirror?  That wasn't the girl that she was, and not even The Boy Who Lived could change her into a simpering maiden.  She took a deep breath and walked into the kitchen with her brother.  

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Harry looked up as Ginny entered the room. She was standing in the doorway, eyes adjusting to the Burrow's dimmer lighting.  This gave Harry a moment to study her unnoticed.

There had been other girls that had turned his head in the past, but there was something about Ginny that could awaken the sleeping beast that resided within him. Daring a longer look at her caused that beast, which he thought he had silenced weeks ago, to begin pacing again. She looked truly wild. He could tell she had been flying; it was almost like he could smell the wind on her. She always looked amazing after she had been flying. 

He had begun to wonder where she was, but did not dare ask anyone and risk revealing, even to himself, how he truly felt about her. He had been at the Burrow for over three hours, had kept checking his peripheral vision for any hint of long red hair, but hadn't seen her once _. I just want to check if she's safe.  It's not like I miss her or anything, he kept telling himself._   And then there she was, with the protective arm of Charlie around her shoulders. The moment Ginny entered the room he felt calmer. He tried to turn his eyes away from her before either of the Weasley men noticed him staring. Harry, however, steered his gaze right into the amused eyes of Charlie Weasley, who had a matching grin playing on his face. Charlie had seen him, and he felt like the older brother knew exactly what Harry had been doing. Harry had long ago realized that over time, he had picked up not a few Weasley traits, something which would be unavoidable after sharing a dorm room with Ron for six years. At this particular moment, one of those traits made itself known. Harry felt himself blushing all over his neck and his cheeks, and he then felt he had to do something to prevent the blush from reaching his ears. 

Ginny walked further into the room and at that moment felt his gaze upon her. She turned to meet his eyes and threw him a quick smile. Well, at least she didn't pull her wand on him. He wouldn't blame her if she did. He would almost welcome one of her famous Bat-Bogey Hexes. Maybe it would make him look as horrible as he felt. 

He kept telling himself it was for her own good that he broke things off. If he had let their relationship continue, he would have been putting her within the Death Eaters ever-widening reach. He couldn't, no, wouldn't do that to her. He would never forgive himself if something happened to her. So he had left her the day of Dumbledore's funeral. He walked away from her and from any future that they may have hoped to have together in order to give the rest of the world its future.

His thoughts were brought back to the present as Mrs. Weasley levitated lunch onto the table. He tried to make eye contact with Ginny, willing her to sit by him, but was disappointed as she and Charlie sat on the other side of the table whispering like girls in the school yard and even giggling every once in a while. He liked to watch her laugh. In her laugh, he felt everything he had ever wanted. Within her laugh, he felt hope. 

Lunch was uneventful. Ginny and Charlie had continued their hushed conversation on one side of the table, while on the other side, Ron was giving Harry an account of the Chudley Cannon's latest game. If you'd asked Harry about the game later though, he wouldn't have been able to tell you who had won or what the score was. After all, his attention was glued to the redhead sitting across from him.

Hermione arrived later that afternoon, after having spent some much-needed time with her parents. When she arrived, she and Ron disappeared for a good part of the afternoon, leaving Harry alone. 

Harry laughed to himself. Did his best friends really think he didn't know what was happening?  Did the think that he was so blind that he would not notice the small gestures between them, how they would pull apart when he came into the room, how there was less bickering and more meaningful glances?  .  He knew they tried to hide this new development for his benefit, so that he wouldn't feel left out.  He would wait for Ron and Hermione to say something to him, but really, he was happy. They had finally found their way to each other, even if it left less time for the three of them. He laughed at himself for not noticing the change in their relationship earlier. But then again, he was occupied elsewhere. At that time, he had Ginny. 

How he wished that he could have her with him like Ron and Hermione had each other. At times, it just felt right that she be by his side. It could be the four of them fighting for the rest of the Wizarding world. He had to remind himself that he would be going alone had it not been for Ron and Hermione confronting him after the funeral. He vowed to himself that though he was going to let them come with him, he would protect them with his life. He felt guilty enough about them coming with him and putting them in harms way. There was no way he was going to let Ginny go and risk herself as well. And so, he could not get close to her again. He was close to his friends and would be devastated if anything happened to them. But with Ginny it was different.  There was a different type of connection between them, different than that of his friends, which neither could deny, and because of that he could not continue what they started. He would not let Voldermort take her away from him.  He was not going to be responsible for the same kind of pain to others that he felt every time he thought of those that had been taken from him.

Harry wanted to be alone with Ginny just before he left Horcrux hunting, but having his way seemed to be impossible, as right after lunch, she and Charlie went off somewhere. Was the entire Weasley family avoiding him? If they were, who could blame them? He was responsible for everything bad that had happened to them: the attack on Bill, leaving him horrifically scared and under unnecessary observation by those at the ministry that feared anything that was different, the snake attack on Mr. Weasley, the whole Department of Mysteries fiasco, which left Ron scarred from the brain attack, And then there was Ginny and her having dealt with Tom Riddle at such a young age. They had all been hurt one way or another because of him. Percy no longer talked to his family because of him. It was no wonder; Harry thought that the Weasleys didn't want to be around him that afternoon. 

He tried to talk to her at any chance he could get, but the timing never seemed right. Every time he thought he had a moment alone with her, Charlie would show up and would either ask her to help him with something or would sit with them and talk about Romania. Not that his job wasn't interesting, but at that moment Harry really didn't want to know the many different uses there were in the world for dragon dung. He was finally saved by the twins showing up and asking to show him some of the new items they were contemplating selling at the shop. He took a final look back and smiled at Ginny, who didn't seem all that happy that he had been taken from the room; but then again, it could have just been his imagination - or the discussion of dung. 

It was nearing time for dinner, and Harry was out in the garden with the twins helping set up the tables and chairs. It seemed the twins were having too good of a time seeing who could conjure up the fanciest chair. At present, George's sat about eight feet high and was as wide as a love seat, and Fred's was entirely gold with jewels entwined in elaborate carvings. Harry was standing by, amused but in no mood to play along with them.

"Those are some chairs.  So which one is mine?" 

Harry's heart began beating wildly at the sound of Ginny's voice. He turned around to face her, trying to calm that caged beast. It always amazed him how her voice was so soft yet so strong. "If they keep this up, there'll be no room for the rest of us."

Harry chuckled. "Well, at least they will make tonight's dinner more entertaining. King George and King Fred presiding while the rest of us trying to squeeze onto a tiny bench." 

What did he just say? He was an idiot. She finally talked to him, and all he had to say something like that.  Although he had to admit, the thought of her squished next to him didn't sound so bad.  

He turned again to face her. He could see a hint of sorrow behind her dancing eyes. "Ginny, I..." But before he could say anything else, there was movement by the kitchen door which distracted all of them. A woman he had never seen in his life had just walked out from the kitchen and was making her way towards them. Harry's hand immediately went to hover over his wand.

Just before he pulled his wand on her, he heard a voice calling from the other side of the garden. "Is that anyway to welcome a guest?" Charlie asked. He walked over to the group and pulled the woman into a long embrace. "Harry, this is Hayden. She is...well, she um...she's here with me for the wedding." 

Charlie, who was now quite flustered, turned to the ladies and said, "If you would excuse us, I think we need to have a small talk." Walking up next to him and putting a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder he pulled him away from Hayden and Ginny

_Great_ , Harry thought _. This is just what I need right now. A 'Hey, Harry, if you hurt her, I'll kill you' speech._ He was very surprised by what followed.

With all the concern of an older brother, Charlie started, "Harry, if you ask me, you really need to relax, man. You're safe here. Now there are going to be a lot of people coming in and out of here. We need to calm you down, or you may end up blasting off something important. I know just the right way. Come with me." 

Harry's body relaxed and he begrudgingly followed the older Weasley, moving away from Ginny and Charlie's ... date, coworker, friend? That had not been clarified in the short frustrating introduction. _Oh well_ , he thought. _We're not going to be leaving for a few more days. There'll still be plenty chances to talk to Ginny about everything._

As the two men walked into the trees, Charlie summoned two brooms and a snitch. "You know, Harry, there is one thing I have always wanted to do with you." 

 

 


End file.
